Iternational Community Has Moral Responsibility to End Violence in Syri: UN Chief

United Nations (ANTARA/Xinhua-OANA) - UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon said on Friday that the international community has a moral responsibility to end the ongoing violence in Syria, a UN spokesman told reporters here. On Friday morning, Ban spoke at Drake University in Des Moines, capital of the U.S. state of Iowa, on the theme of "Global Citizenship in a Changing World," said Martin Nesirky, Ban's spokesperson, at a daily briefing. "The secretary-general said that the international community has a moral responsibility, a political duty and a humanitarian obligation to stop the bloodbath and find peace for the people of Syria," Nesirky said. The UN chief called on the Security Council, countries in the region and all parties concerned to support the work of Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy for Syria, and promote a ceasefire in the conflict-torn country. According to Nesirky, Ban also told his audience that there were three tests of global citizenship -- sustainable development, empowering the world's women and young people, and meeting people' s aspirations for democracy, peace and security. The secretary-general traveled to Des Moines on Thursday to give a keynote speech at the 2012 World Food Prize laureate award ceremony held there.(*)